If you have a question about meningitis or meningococcal septicaemia, just want to talk things through or find out more about our support, our nurses and experienced support staff are here to help.

Calls to our nurse-led helpline are free from landlines and mobile phones within the UK and do not appear on itemised bills. To make sure everyone can contact us we have access to a telephone interpreting service for over 240 languages. If you have a hearing or speech impairment and use a textphone you can contact us using the prefix 18001.

We are full members of The Helplines Partnership, ensuring that we always deliver a high quality service.

All calls are welcome and we can:

Help anyone who has had a direct experience of meningitis, their family, friends and carers

Answer your questions regarding meningitis or its after-effects

Answer your questions about vaccines and the prevention of meningitis

Help anyone seeking support following a meningitis experience – our helpline is a gateway to our free support services

If you have a question, but prefer to receive an answer in writing, you can send our helpline staff an email: helpline@meningitisnow.org. (emails are answered within 2 working days).

We cannot diagnose or give medical advice. If you suspect someone has meningitis or septicaemia, get medical help immediately by contacting your GP or NHS 111, in an emergency dial 999 or go to your nearest accident and emergency department.

When our helpline is closed

If you do need to talk with someone when our helpline is closed, you can call any of the following services:

Recent bereavement

If you have lost a loved one to meningitis and would like to speak to our Founder, Steve Dayman, at any time, please call him on 07903 412144 or email him at steved@meningitisnow.org . Steve lost his son Spencer to meningitis in 1982.